Rage Against The Machine Joins Spotify’s Billions Club
Rage Against The Machine and Franz Ferdinand have recently been added to Spotify’s Billions Club, with their tracks “Killing In The Name” and “Take Me Out” achieving incredible streaming success.
Acknowledging The Fans
On Saturday (January 11), Rage frontman Tom Morello recognized the milestone, expressing gratitude to “everyone who listened to” the politically charged single, including “those who love it, those who hate it, and those who enjoyed it without understanding it.” He remarked, “Righteous proof that rebellious music and irony are alive and well.”
“Killing In The Name” originates from the band’s 1992 self-titled debut album and was composed in response to the Los Angeles riots that year. The track is a tribute to the racist city police who Morello previously identified as “boot-licking lackeys and thugs of the racist capitalist ruling class.”
Since its release, the song has been embraced by protesters around the globe. In 2020, during protests in the US following the death of George Floyd, Morello applauded demonstrators in Portland for chanting “Killing in the Name” at police officers. “Well, that’s what it’s for!” he said on Twitter.
“KILLING IN THE NAME” just hit 1 billion streams on Spotify! Thanks to everyone who listened to it: those who love it, those who hate it, and those who enjoyed it without understanding it. Righteous proof that rebellious music and irony are alive and well.
— Tom Morello (@tmorello) January 11, 2025
Meanwhile, Franz Ferdinand announced their achievement on Instagram on Thursday (January 9), writing: “We just heard that ‘Take Me Out’ has reached one billion streams on @spotify. Thanks to all you crazy streamers. Anyway, enough about that. ‘The Human Fear’ is what we’re working on now, and it’s coming out tomorrow (January 10).”
“Take Me Out” is the second single from the band’s 2004 debut studio album of the same name. Upon its release, the track peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart and reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart. It was listed by NME as one of the 50 greatest indie anthems of all time in 2007.
